The Seaside Ghost
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Arthur has to help at Brendam Docks, where he hears yet another story from Salty. This time, though, the story is indeed real, as Arthur and Nicholas see it with their own eyes. (K-plus for now, might be T later. You guys decide.)


Arthur and Nicholas work at the Fishing Village on the Norramby Branch Line.

Nicholas unloads the fish from the fishing boats while Arthur takes it in fish vans to Kellsthorpe Road, where the fish is loaded onto the Flying Kipper.

The fish can also be delivered to other various villages, like on the Norramby Line.

But one day, the Fat Controller had wanted Arthur to help at Brendam.

"I have to go help at Brendam Docks. The Fat Controller's orders," said Arthur to Nicholas, "You keep loading that fish until I get back."

"Right!" agreed Nicholas and he lowered his crane arm.

Arthur chuckled and puffed away.

It was a misty day, so Arthur had a lamp fitted.

Soon Arthur arrived to find the usual scene of Brendam Docks; ships coming from other parts of the world, cranes loading and unloading, and engines scurrying to deliver their cargo on time.

Cranky was loading Porter's flatbeds of timber.

"These are for Hank, correct?" asked Porter.

"Yes, now get a move on." grumbled Cranky, "Arthur's coming."

Porter puffed away just as Arthur puffed under Cranky.

"What should I shunt first?" Arthur asked helpfully.

Porter, who was puffed away, called out, "Shunt those empty vans; they need to be filled with fish for the Flying Kipper."

"Ugh, my least favorite thing: fish," sighed Cranky as Arthur was coupled up to the vans.

Arthur frowned as he puffed over the points and back under the large crane.

"Come now, it's not bad. Nicholas loves fish," said Arthur.

Cranky scoffed.

"Then your 'Nicholas' friend is a very strange crane." and he started to load the fish into the vans.

Arthur just rolled his eyes.

Salty oiled over.

"Would like you something to do while you're waiting for old Cranky?" he asked.

"I am not old!" fumed Cranky.

Ignoring him, Arthur smiled fondly.

"Oh yes please. It seems that Cranky's gonna take a while."

Salty chuckled.

"Well... argh, alright then sailor. Let's start one of me stories. This one's a ghost story. Kind've fits the fog, doesn't it?"

Arthur murmured in agreement.

Cranky sighed; the last time Salty told a ghost story, everybody went scared over flatbeds, and another time Mavis was scared out of her mind.

Salty began his story.

"Once at the Fishing Village on yer branch line, a long, long time ago... an engine was delivering a fish train that was extremely heavy... About twenty trucks... The tracks weren't well-built and crumpled under the engine's weight. It cried for help, but it was no use for the little matey. The engine slid along the beach and splashed into the sea..."

Salty paused for some atmosphere.

Cranky stopped loading.

Porter stopped shunting.

Even Hank, who was puffing into the Docks, stopped.

The whole Docks seemed to freeze in time.

Salty shunted some trucks and continued.

"The crew survived and swam to shore, but they never found the tank engine... They still say that every foggy night, the engine whistles and wheeshes steam throughout the railway, as a warning. Some say he speaks. They say he says, 'Don't do what I did... Or you'll be in trouble.'"

Salty suddenly turned light-hearted again.

"And that's the story! Did you like it?"

Cranky said nothing, but rolled his eyes.

Porter gulped.

"Salty... That was dark! Where'd you hear that?"

Salty chuckled.

"Oh, nowhere. Just a thing with us dockyard Diesels knowing everything."

"I don't wanna go out now," gulped Hank.

"Don't be scaredy engines," teased Arthur, "it's fine. There's no such things as ghosts."

Salty lowered his voice.

"When any engine doesn't believe his story... He shows them himself..."

Arthur turned white.

"That happened to me," continued Salty, "When I was a young Diesel, I took my stories as fiction all the time. I was honestly scared, and trust me mateys, it takes a lot to scare me."

Hank looked to Porter worriedly.

Arthur's face was as white as the clouds above the fog.

"Just a simple warning, me hearties. Now get some more fish Arthur." said Salty, "Then, come back later."

Arthur was afraid, but decided to go anyway.

"I can't believe my home has been haunted for all this time!" Arthur cried as he puffed away.

"What utter nonsense," said Arthur's driver, "Ghosts don't exist."

"Nonsense?! I don't want him to hear you!" gasped Arthur.

"Arthur, seriously. You're letting Salty get to you..." the fireman said.

Arthur gulped.

"...okay...maybe it isn't true."

"Thank you!" cried the crew.

"Or... is it?!"

The crew sighed again as Arthur started to debate with himself.

Finally, he came to a conclusion.

"I know how I can prove it!" Arthur exclaimed and he listened.

"What are you listening for?" asked his driver.

"It's so we can hear the splash," whispered Arthur.

His crew shrugged and listened.

Even the vans listened, but they heard nothing.

The vans found Arthur's paranoia amusing.

"Arthur's scared of a story! The little engine lost all his glory, because he's scared of a silly story!" giggled a van.

The vans laughed as Arthur went pale as he approached the Fishing Village.

When he saw the bright neon lights of the town though, he felt much better.

Nicholas was just resting when he noticed Arthur's pale face through the fog.

"What happened?" asked Nicholas worriedly, "You look as white as that boat over there."

Arthur didn't reply; he was too busy looking around frantically.

A big boat came into the dock.

"Ahoy there!" called the captain, "Just going to unload this fish! Nice big catch today."

The workmen loaded the fish into the vans.

The presence of people made Arthur feel a little better.

He puffed up to the vans and the shunter coupled him up.

Arthur politely waited for a guard's whistle, but was surprised to hear nothing.

"That's odd," he said out loud, "Shouldn't the guard be here now?"

"I don't know," replied Nicholas.

Arthur's driver looked back and saw a light.

"Yeah, but I do see another engine coming. Maybe he can tell us."

The engine went faster and faster, and it seemed as though it were to crash into Arthur.

Nicholas gasped.

"Stop you fool!" cried Arthur and shut his eyes for impact, but suddenly... WHOOSH.

The engine disappeared.

Arthur opened one eye, and was surprised to find he wasn't damaged.

"What? Why? How When?" Arthur stuttered.

"I-I don't know, but... that was strange... and disturbing." said Nicholas.

Everyone was very shocked indeed.

Then they heard a frantic whistle, a splash, and finally a voice.

"Don't do what I did, or you'll be in trouble..." it said.

Arthur was paler than ever, and the fishermen as well as Nicholas were shaken.

"Cranking crane arms..." said Nicholas quietly.

Just then the guard hurried in with a lantern and flag in one hand and his whistle in another.

"Sorry I'm late." he panted, "But my car broke down and Butch had to come and tow it away. Didn't have another mode of transport so I ran here."

The guard jumped into the brakevan and blew his whistle.

Arthur puffed slowly away, feeling very scared indeed.

Soon, Arthur arrived with his fish at Kellsthorpe Road.

Henry was there waiting with some vans.

"I'm just preparing for tonight," he explained, but he then noticed Arthur's paleness.

"What got into you?" asked Henry.

Arthur stuttered, "Um, nothing."

Henry wasn't so sure though as he puffed away.

When Arthur came back to the Docks while Nicholas waited for the boat, Paxton was arriving with his usual stone train.

"Hello Arthur!" tooted Paxton, "What's wrong? You look all pale for some reason."

Arthur said nothing; he just puffed aside.

"You look as if you saw a ghost," commented a workman.

"We d-d-did," stammered the driver.

The workman slapped his forehead.

"Don't be so daft," he grumbled, "Ghosts don't exist."

"No, we really saw one," urged the driver.

The workman was surprised.

"Really? Where?"

"At the Fishing Village," responded the fireman.

"You mean the one with the engine who fell into the sea? ...oh yes, I saw it once. Terrifying sight. But I've gotten over it."

Arthur grew some of his color back when he saw cheerful Paxton's smile; Paxton didn't hear the conversation between the driver and the workman.

"So what did happen?" asked Paxton.

Arthur turned pale again at the thought.

"It was horrible... A ghost engine, a whistle, a splash, and then the scariest voice I ever heard..."

Paxton was confused.

"Ghosts? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Arthur.

Porter chuffed over.

"I still think it's not real. My driver said a ghost was on a television show called, 'Sodor's Paranormal Activity.' But one of the ghosts on the show was the one in the Fishing Village. So, it's fiction."

Salty chuckled awkwardly, trying to light the mood.

"I, uh, have some good news about the ghost. It leaves you alone when you believe in the story!"

Salty gulped, noticing the glares he got.

"Well, time to leave." Salty said quickly and he oiled away.

"It's time to go back to Nicholas," said Arthur's driver worriedly, and Arthur puffed away.

"Be careful," warned Porter, "All of this fog can be dangerous."

Arthur puffed past Neville on the way back to the Fishing Village, but he didn't whistle; he was too much in thought.

He did indeed believe in the story now, as did the trucks and his crew.

So he decided to see if the ghost would show up again.

At the Fishing Village, Arthur puffed up to find a barrier across the line.

"The place is closed for now," explained a fisherman, "We can't risk ghosts popping up everywhere. Everyone's evacuated from their homes to Norramby."

Suddenly, WHOOSH.

The wind blew, the whistle sounded, and the ghost engine was now in front of Arthur.

Arthur was too scared to do anything at all.

But then he noted the ghost engine's expression; he didn't look angry like last time; he actually looked scared.

Arthur didn't know what to do.

"Um, uh, what am I supposed to say?" he whispered to Nicholas.

"I don't know, just get it out of here!" cried Nicholas, "That thing's freaky!"

Arthur thought for a moment, and suddenly got an idea.

"Oh now I got it!" he said to himself.

So Arthur began to talk to the ghost engine.

"Little engine, we've all had bad accidents from time to time. Unfortunately, some are more severe than others. Most accidents don't take an engine's life, but, uh... some aren't as lucky."

The ghost engine glared at Arthur, making him jump.

"...you sure you know what you're doing?" quivered Nicholas.

"I hope so." muttered Arthur, and he continued.

"Maybe you didn't make it out alive, but you still have the opportunity to move on. Not many engines have the wit and skill to do so, but I think you may."

Arthur gulped, then started again.

"The past is in the past, I'm afraid. You can't change what has happened, but you can change your future. Sorry, um, scary... ghost, but there is some good out of it; you will never have an accident again. You can't hurt anymore. You can just forget about it. Alright?"

The ghost looked at Arthur.

Arthur gulped, thinking it was angry, but surprisingly the ghost smiled for a second.

Then, WHOOSH.

It disappeared into the fog.

"D-d-did it work?" asked Nicholas.

"I think so," said Arthur calmly, "At least I won't have nightmares tonight..."

From that day forward, Nicholas and Arthur never mentioned the ghost again, but that night, Arthur could tell that the ghost's presence had ceased.

"It really has moved on..." Arthur thought in his shed, and he fell asleep, happy to know that the ghost had moved on from his tragic past.


End file.
